Empire of Kythira

Empire of Kythira Imperium Kythirum
Flag
Motto: L'Union Fait La Force Strength through Unity
Anthem: Rule Kythira Royal anthem: Viromaro Victoria
Capital	Helmira
Largest Kingdom	Helmira
Recognised national languages	Low Attican
Recognised regional languages	High-Attican Old Redstonian West Redstonian Marsadinian Alcanzari Helmirish East Redstonian
Ethnic groups	Heartlander Attican Camurian Alcanzari Arodraghi Redstonian
Religion	The Holy Cee
Demonym	Kythiran
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Empress	Theodosia Viromaro
• Crown-Prince	Charles Viromaro
• Grand Marshal	Publius Decius Agricola
• Grand Chancellor	Frederique Voltáre
• Upper house	Imperial Senate
• Lower house	Imperial Council
Establishment
• Proclamation of the Kingdom	Late First Era
• War of the Valley Lands	Late First Era
• Member of the Redstone Alliance	Second Era
• The Great Grief	Second Era
• Unification of Westeria	Third Era
• Proclamation of the Empire	Third Era
Currency	Florynts (ƒ)
Patron saint	Saint Coetzeeclan

Empress of Kythira
Imperial
Incumbent
Theodosia Viromaro since Early Fifth Era
Details
Style	Her Majesty
First monarch	Richard I Viromaro
Residence	Imperial Palace: Residence of the Emperor in Helmira Villa Altojardin: Guesthouse in Helmira Fort Summerhal: Summer palace in Alcanzar Villa Riverside: Palace in the Riverlands Villa Mar Soleado: Palace in Ardoragh Sandstone Palace: Residence of the Crown-Prince in Helmira

The Kythiran Empire is an empire, and one of two superpowers of Minecraftia. The largest empire in history, it stretches over four continents, Terrantiq, Ardoragh, Merceno and Westeria. It lays claim to several seas, namely the Narrow Sea, the Vestlig Sea, the Mediori Sea, the Southern Sea, the Dødehavet Sea, the Øyer Sea, Lake Redondo and the Northern Sea. The rise of the Kythiran Empire began during the Third Era, after the Minecraftian Dark Ages. It played a major role in global events, including the formation of the Imperius Reich and its actions during the Dervich Incident and following Victormare Incident were the catalyst for that nation's revolution and consequent reform into the Raggisar Republic.

The House Viromaro has ruled the Kythiran Empire, and its predecessor, the Kingdom of Kythira, since its inception.

The Empire has the largest population in Minecraftia according to the Fifth Era International Census. It has a great diversity in terms of cultures, ethnicities and languages.

The Empire before the Fifth Era was a military superpower, having the second-largest army and the largest navy of Minecraftia. The Grand War however resulted in a decimation of this force, and although the Empire is rebuilding her armed forces, she is no longer considered a military superpower.

Wealth in the Empire is heavily concentrated into the nobility, with House Viromaro itself being the richest family in Minecraftian history, holding 20% of all of Florynts, the international currency. The Empire relies much on international trade, which is concentrated in the capital city of Helmira.

Prior to the Reforma Carta the Empire was an absolute monarchy ruling over a collection of provinces, led by High-Lords. With the Reforma Carta the empire's government changed, turning into a constitutional monarchy consisting of six kingdoms united under the Kythiran banner.

History

The Kythiran Empire is a continuation of the Kingdom of Kythira, the first sovereign nation of Minecraftia, founded at the end of the First Era.

Kingdoms

"The Big Three"

Ardoragh

Alcanzar

Attica

"The Ancient Three"

Camuria

Heartlands

Peninsula of Peril

Primary Cities

Helmira - Capital of the Empire of Kythira and the Heartlands

Redstonia - Capital of the Peninsula of Peril

Marsadini - Capital of Camuria

Solleria - Capital of The Reach

Oldspawn - Capital of the Riverlands

Alralysva - Capital of Ardoragh

Kreonix - Harbour city in Ardoragh, major city and largest naval port at the Vestlig Sea.

Yrticil - City in Ardoragh with a river connecting it to the Dødehavet Sea, aside from Redstonia one of the most fortified cities in Kythira.

Government

From its founding in the Third Era till the Reforma Carta at the start of the Fifth Era, the Kythiran Empire was an Absolute Monarchy consisting of an Emperor from House Viromaro, ruling over six provinces with the aid of appointed High-Lords, although some High-Lord positions were hereditary.

After the Reforma Carta however, the Kythiran Empire has been a Constitutional Monarchy, consisting of six kingdoms, each led by an individual Prince or Princess, united by The Crown, the Kythiran government.

The heart of the Empire is the Arcadia District of the imperial city of Helmira, still focused around the White-Gold Tower, the government headquarters, surrounded by several important government buildings, such as the interior and foreign ministries, the Imperial Council and the Kythiran Senate.

Currently the Head-of-state of the Kythiran Empire is Empress Theodosia Viromaro.

Foreign Policy

Although the Kythiran Empire was instrumental in the foundation of the Imperius Reich, it has had numerous clashes with the Reich after it began to expand. Officially Kythira has always tried to uphold a policy of neutrality, and it hosted the first international peace council through the Embassy of Nations during the Second Era as the Kingdom of Kythira, and the formation of the Forum of Minecraftia during the Third Era.

Intially, when Imperius only consisted of the small island of Dorwall, trade was seen as a way to keep the tiny island nation in good standing with the empire. With the great eastern expansion and eventual formation of the Imperius Reich however, this relationship became more about maintaining Kythiran dominance on the international stage. When the Imperius kaiser decided that he wanted a fleet to dominate the seas, a step in the direction of making Imperius the greater superpower, a member of House Mace, the second most powerful noble Imperius family, betrayed the Reich, informing the Kythiran government about the new secret navy Imperius was constructing.

In response to this the Kythirans constructed the Mediori Fleet, and international relations became strained as an arms race began between the two empires. Although early treaties dating back to the foundation of the state of Imperius prevented each power to directly declare war on the other, several conflicts still occurred that only served to escalate tensions between the empires. Although small progress was made, including the formation of the Aqumis Free State, incidents such as the Dervich Incident and the Victormare Incident created major political rifts.

Today the Kythiran government has put a trade- and travel embargo on the Imperius Reich, though the ambassadors of both countries are still on their posts. The White-Gold Tower has made several appeals for negotiations between the empires, including holding a grand ball at the Kythiran royal summerhouse Fort Summerhal with the Imperius kaiser as the guest of honour, but none of these have been fruitful.

The Kythiran Empire, specifically the Emperor, has been a proponent of a Minecraftian Union, where Kythira and Imperius would unite into one stronger peaceful entity. However, with the current tensions between the two empires most work on the cause of global unification has been postponed indefinitely.

After years of unrest and skirmishes between the two global superpowers, we now live in a period of remarkable peace and cooperation. Trade flourishes between the empires, and war is becoming a distant memory.

Internal Instability

The White-Gold Tower has to this date been able to maintain the unity of the empire, primarily through diplomacy and use of the Imperial Kythiran Legion. Disagreements between the Emperor and Crown-Prince still sometimes occur over provincial borders, though this has lessened over the years. Anti-monarchist propaganda has been discovered in the Province of Camuria, suspected to be part of an outlawed organization called the “Neo Federation Workers Movement”, who wish to unite the Kythiran peasantry in order to overthrow the monarchy and establish a democratic republic in the empire’s state.

Scientific Developments

The Empire's capital city, Helmira, used to be a international center of scientific development. This included research into the development of superweapons during the early Third Era, such as the legendary Imperial Shovel. The first powered manned flight in Minecraftia was also achieved by Kythiran scientists. However, in the Fourth Era Kythira has invested much less in scientific research and development, resulting in the city of Alralysva becoming the scientific capital of the Empire, funded entirely by Crown Prince Whazajottom Von Roterstein.

Military

The Kythiran Empire's military consists of several primary factions:

Golden Armies

Each Golden Province, semi-autonomous provinces under the leadership of a High-Lord, has to maintain an armed force, which can be called upon by the Emperor in times of crisis. The Empire is filled with fortresses, armed towers and castles, available to be quickly manned.

Kythiran Imperial Legion

The Imperial Legion has two primary purposes: Suppressing revolt and the protection of the royal family. Their headquarters is Bear Island in Camuria. However today it has fallen far behind in both technology, training and organization of even some Golden Armies, let alone the Imperius Reich.

Kythiran Navy

Originally the Kythirans only had a small fleet of refitted Helmsdeep ships. During the Fourth Era, however, discontent members of the House of Mace, a noble Imperius family, provided intelligence to the Kythirans that the Kaiser of Imperius had begun the construction of a massive fleet. To counter this, the Kythirans began the secret construction of a new fleet, with the centrepiece being the Mediori Fleet, which consists of 38 Modern large flagships, 24 Classic ships and 132 Mini-Submarines. This arms race eventually cooled down after the Dervich Incident.

Economy

The economy of the Kythiran Empire is dictated by the Kythiran Florynt and the Mercenary Bank, the international financial body of Minecraftia. The Empire used to have a flourishing trade with the Imperius Reich, but after several incidents, especially the Dervich Incident, this has dwindled to a neglectable number.

Crown Provinces:

The Crown Provinces are maintained through budgets set by the Crown, financed through the taxation of the Golden Provinces. The capital city of Helmira, located in the Crown Province of the Heartlands, holds a state-monopoly on trade with all foreign powers.

Golden Provinces:

The Golden Provinces used to have their own dedicated state-dictated industry, with the Province of Alcanzar hosting the Imperial Forestry Company and the Province of Camuria hosting the Imperial Mining Company. In truth, however, with the Province of Ardoragh being able to gain more and more power, these official state guidelines have been mostly abandoned.

Infrastructure

Minecraftia's first large-scale infrastructure project was completed under the leadership of King Mercenary Hurdræber of Helmsdeep, and was a train connection between the Helmsdeep capital and Marsadini. During the Unification of Westeria, the Emperor of the Kythiran Empire ordered that his lands must be traversable. To this end, the world's first metro system was constructed, as well as new canals and tens of kilometres of road- and train networks.

Official Languages

The Empire of Kythira has one official language, though it is two regional recognized languages.

Official Language:

Low-Riverlandish | Based on the English Language

Recognized Regional Languages:

Riverlandish | Based on the Dutch Language

Redstonian | A mixture of Germanic and Nordic languages

These three different languages are a legacy from the Second Era and the different nations and cultures across Westeria.

Imperial Family

House Viromaro, one of the Ancient Houses, have ruled the Kythiran Empire and her predecessor, the Kingdom of Kythira, since their founding. They are distantly related to House Von Dragestein, and members of House Viromaro have married over the centuries with numerous noble families from across Minecraftia. The current head of House Viromaro and thus also ruler of the Empire is Empress Theodosia Viromaro, who was crowned in the early Fifth Era when her father, Louis Viromaro, was forced to abdicate as part of the Reforma Carta.

Culture

The Kythiran Empire, although since the Fifth Era a Constitutional Monarchy at the Imperial level, is still very much a feudal society. Society is separated into four primary social classes, of which it is generally expected that there is no substantial mingling in between classes. There are nuances in this however, which depend on the specific Kingdom one is living in.

These four social classes are the nobility, the gentry, the peasants and slaves. The last category are however legally considered property, and therefore are not considered citizens of the Empire.

Nobility:

Within the entire Empire, the nobility are the only ones who can hold political power. They are by far the wealthiest class of citizens, and they are tasked, through a large system of delegated power, with ruling the Empire. It is illegal for members of the nobility to marry with any other social class. The only way one can become part of the nobility is to either be born into a noble family, or by being elevated to the class by the Emperor or one of the Empire's six Kings.

Gentry:

The gentry are a larger social class than the nobility, and are an important part of the Empire's economy. These are people, whose family originated from the peasant social class, but who managed to climb their way up towards wealth. Anyone with a personal account worth more than 35,000 Florynts in the Mercenary Bank are officially part of the Gentry.

Peasants:

The largest social class, these consists of the commoners of Kythira. They serve their local nobles, for instance in foresting, mining, farming or fighting for them. They have some legal rights, set in the Code Coetzee, but are usually not able to act on their rights. An excellent example of the Kythiran peasantry is the city of Marsadini, where mineworkers, employed by the Imperial Mining Company, reside in homes usually not larger than 4 by 4 meters.

Slaves:

Minecraftia's native inhabitants. Usually referred to as "villagers". Mostly eradicated through several genocides in order to free their villages for colonization by Kythirans, though some can still be found across the Empire, usually serving menial jobs. They have no legal rights nor protections.

Noble Houses

Kythira, being ruled by an aristocratic class, has several noble houses amongst her citizens, the most important of these being the following:

House Von Roterstein:

Though originally a royal house in the Second Era, House Von Roterstein today is the second most powerful noble house within the Empire of Kythira after the Imperial Family. After being knighted Knight of the Tower, Lord Whazajottom, the former King of Redstonia, was elevated to the position of High-Lord of Ardoragh. Later he was bestowed with the title of Crown Prince of Kythira, meaning he is to seize power once the Emperor ceases or steps down from his service. This makes Whazajottom's full title Crown Prince Whazajottom of Kythira, High-Lord of Ardoragh and Knight of the Tower. His brother, Duke Corspin Von Roterstein, rules the city of Kreonix in High-Lord Whazajottom's name. High-Lord Whazajottom himself resides in his palace in the city of Alralysva, but due to his powerful position, he also has a residence in the Empire's capital of Helmira, namely the Ardoragh Palace.

House Vinkhuys :

Riverlandish in origin, House Vinkhuys was the ruling house of the province of Alcanzar. The only surviving member of this noble house, High-Lord SillyJoey Vinkhuys ruled the well-defended but economically weak province from castle Verano in the city of Solleria, until his disappearance in the early Third Era. The Vinkhuys family was given their lordship by the Emperor as a reward for their services to the Riverlands, since they were the original founders of the Rebel Alliance during the Second Era.

House Agricola:

The House Agricola claim themselves to be related to Consul Republic, the founder of the short-lived Federation of Provinces in the Second Era. Today their last remaining member, though not being of true nobility, rules the Golden Province of Camuria in the absence of a High-Lord. This is Lord-Protector P. Decius Agricola. They were also a leading cause behind the re-militarization of the Kythiran Royal Guard, producing what we today know as the Imperial Legion.

House Wolf:

House Wolf is a young house, being elevated into nobility during the Fourth Era. They founded and were behind most of the construction of the City of Yrticil. The current head of the house, and ruler of the city in name of High-Lord Whazajottom is Duke WhiteWolfXD98.

House Hjarta:

Like House Wolf, House Hjarta is one of the youngest noble houses, being elevated into nobility during the Fourth Era. They are behind the construction of a massive palace, the largest the world has seen at that stage, in the middle of the Fjarthrond Forest. The current ruler of this house is Duchess Hartje.